Variety, which broke the story, reports that Shailene Woodley, the breakout star of the comedy-drama “The Descendents,” is the studio’s top choice to play Peter Parker’s redheaded love interest. The Hollywood Reporter, meanwhile, contends the studio has already offered the role to the 20-year-old actress. Aside from “The Descendents,” Woodley is best known as the star of ABC Family’s “The Secret Life of the American Teenager.”

Sony is also searching for an unspecified villain — the classic Marvel foe Electro is rumored as one of the contenders — as well as Harry Osborn, Peter’s friend and eventual nemesis. Variety points out that lightning was featured prominently in the post-credits sequence of “The Amazing Spider-Man,” perhaps foreshadowing the inclusion of the electricity-manipulating Electro in the 2014 follow-up.

Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Electro was introduced in 1964’s “The Amazing Spider-Man” #9 as Maxwell Dillon, an electrical engineer who gained his superhuman abilities after being struck by lightning.

Written by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orc and Jeff Pinkner based on a previous draft by James Vanderbilt, the sequel to “The Amazing Spider-Man” is set to open in 3D on May 2, 2014.